A typical liquid crystal display is capable of displaying a clear and sharp image through millions of pixels that make up the complete image. The liquid crystal display has thus been applied to various electronic equipment in which messages or pictures need to be displayed, such as mobile phones and notebook computers. However, liquid crystals in the liquid crystal display do not themselves emit light. Rather, the liquid crystals have to be lit up by a light source so as to clearly and sharply display text and images. The light source may be ambient light, or a backlight module attached to the liquid crystal display.
Referring to FIG. 8, a conventional backlight module 1 generally includes a light guide plate 11, a light source 10 having a wire 12, and a frame 13 for accommodating the light guide plate 11 and the light source 10.
Referring to FIG. 9, the light guide plate 11 includes a side surface 111 and a top light emitting surface 112. The frame 13 has an L-shaped transverse cross-section. Top portions of the frame 13 cover a periphery of the emitting surface 112 of the light guide plate 11. An inner surface 131 of the frame 13 cooperates with the side surface 111 of the light guide plate 11 to form a space for accommodating the wire 12.
With this configuration, the space between the side surface 111 of the light guide plate 11 and the inner surface 131 of the frame 13 is provided in order that the wire 12 can be disposed between the light guide plate 11 and the frame 13. That is, the space is an additional expanse that increases an overall length of the backlight module 1. This militates against the trend toward miniaturization of corresponding electronic equipment such as mobile phones and notebook computers.
Therefore, a new backlight module that can overcome the above-described problem is desired.